The Last Sanctuary: Reborn
by doomsta27
Summary: The loss of Joel and Ellie's home forces them to venture back into the unknown world with only handful of remaining members of the community. They move on in search for a new place of safety, a new place of sanctuary. The group encounters a swarm of infected that pushes Joel into action, he leads the monsters into a abandoned military base, changing his life forever. (JoelxEllie)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, I'm back with my second story in the last of us universe. This is one I've wanted to write for along time, some elements of this story may seem a but too sci-fi for some but I always try to shoot for something new and to think out side the box. (Although I try and not to let it get too ****weird.) This pairing features JoelxEllie and might get sexual heated in later chapters SO YOU'VE WARNED ! But most of all enjoy and please voice your opinions about my writing skills. I wasn't the best student in school so I'm trying to improve myself in the arts of English literature and that's only possible with your help!**

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><p><span><strong>ONE<strong>

**Grounded**

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><p>The cold, harsh winds pushed against his body as gray clouds loomed overhead. On typical day the white puffs represented peace and freedom in the open skies above, similar to the new-found feelings the old man felt for the first time in ages in this cruel survivors only world. On this day, the rare pleasure of happiness became ripped out of his heart, on this day, the short list of people he was proud to call friends became chopped down even smaller, on this day, his new-found home was no more.<p>

Jackson and along with half its people were completely wiped out.

Joel looked on, he stood at the edge of a tall hill that once watched over his secluded piece of paradise. But now ,this solid mass of land showcased a wide view of the aftermath that took place moments ago. The tough breeze continued to blow, specks of ashes lifted off the burning land and made contacted with the old man's skin like a cruel slap to the face that reminded him this was fucking real. He looked on with false hope, he thought maybe if he tried hard enough the destroyed rows of houses would return to its beautiful glory that minutes ago held the title of home. But reality is final in its decisions, most of the time it acted like bully who played by his own rules, the well aged man knew this better than anybody.

What? you don't like how your life's turning out. To. Fucking. Bad. Pretty simple rules to learn and follow … if you can even call them that.

Like a bolt of lighting the hunters attacked with brute force, they struck the most vulnerable parts of Jackson hitting everyone and everything with deadly organization that sent the survivors into perfect chaos. The men and women able to fight did so with all they had, but even with every thing they had the survivors fell one after another in a blood soaked ballet of death and destruction that ended their hard-earned rights to live as human beings. Although, their last act of bravery didn't play out in vain, the remaining few pushed back hard enough to make room for a fighting chance to shove the blood hungry bastards out of their compound. Shots rang out from every direction, the sounds of gunfire, the shouting from both team Jackson and team hunter, and the blinding muzzle flashes gave the dark impression a deadly fourth of July party gone horribly fucking wrong.

In the brutal end, they won the uphill battle for their home, they mercilessly killed all and any who represented themselves as an enemy. Joel made sure of this, he saved the hunter leader for last as he integrated the weak excuse for a man with a boot on his neck which held him down on cold hard floor.

"The weaklings of this town may have beaten us, but more will come once they know me and my men aren't coming back!" The hunter leader struggled to say, the man bleed as he fought to keep his throat from becoming crushed by the might of the old survivor's boot.

Joel surveyed his surroundings and saw nothing but expired bodies and burning houses caving in just like the last bit of patience he held for the man trapped under his foot like a rat. This bastard of a human needed to go, and while on the subject of rats, killing him like one seemed appropriate.

"You and your men really want this place so bad, huh? How about a trade, this land-" Joel said as he applied more pressure to his foot "-For your life!"

He stomped down with all his body weight as the hunter leader under his boot fought with all his might to breathe, but his strength was useless against Joel's muscle heavy frame. The defenseless hunter grew weaker by the second. Joel pushed down with even more force and gave a powerful swift turn of his heel an snapped the neck of the _poor_ human begin down in the dirt. The discreet sound of bone breaking from his spine jumped out, it sounded off like signal to the reaper that said this rat's done breathing.

"Huh, will you look at that, a spine, didn't think he had one …" Joel said with an intense inferno in his eyes, a that moment he held more anger in him than the fires that burned around him.

There's nothing left, the walls, the farms, and the houses, all gone. And, on top of possibility more bad guys could be heading Jackson's way, that left no choice but to call it quits on the once proud compound. And with that notion grim realized, the last surviving community members left with whatever supplies they could carry.

/

Joel sealed of the recent memories into a deep section of his mind, getting lost in despair time after time could get the better of you. Just another lesson the old survivor picked up from his fifty plus years on this unforgiving mud ball called earth.

He breathed out with a deep sigh "Why the hell did I come back here, nothing … nothings left down there." He said, shifting his feet atop the hill that overlooked Jackson.

Again, reality took its place beside Joel, he prayed for a tiny sliver of hope, a sign, a vision, anything that revealed the previous horrors didn't take place. His heart sunk as he realized the option to go back in time and fix the wrong wouldn't appear anytime soon, which was an option he's prayed for in the past.

"Goddamn it, no use in dwellin' on the past, I gotta a job to do, a mission to protection and honor. And I'll be damned if lose her … "

With that, Joel picked up the pace and shot back into the forest behind him, hell-bent on seeing a certain light-skinned, redheaded girl. Just one look into those glistening emerald eyes and he felt … no, he KNEW everything was going to turn out okay.

The old survivor rushed on through the thick jade of the trees and brush at full speed. He Jogged to a stop as he spotted the familiar sight of a blonde haired couple pacing back and forth in nervous anticipation.

The blonde man in a tattered brown jacket, black shirt with jeans and boots stopped in his tracks as the pounding sounds of foot steps drew closer and closer.

"Joel … Holy crap! Joel, there your are, we've been pacing here for the last hour, you okay?" He said.

Joel came to a full stop in front of his brother Tommy, his hands rested on his knees as he caught his breath "I'm good little brother, just got turned around is all …" He told him.

A blonde woman rushed forward in a worn grey tank top, tan pants and boots with deep concern presented on her face. "Thank god, we started thinking the worst, what happened? Did you see anyone, or any signs of life?"

He stood up straight as he finally gained his energy back, but was brought back down with the negative news about his short adventure.

"No, nothing … not even the slights peak of movement, just a big smoldering mess is all that's left …" Joel said in heavyhearted tone.

Maria shut her eyes as she brought her hands to her forehead, the news left a feeling of sickness in her stomach. "God … damn it, damn it …I can't believe this is happening..." her voice cracked as her husband's arms closed around her.

Tommy held his wife as small streams of tears fell from her face. The loss of so many good people finally hit her like a lead pipe, the sight of their kind faces flooded her mind. The years of trust they built as a community, all burned away within a matter of minutes. The fact the town was under her leadership only added more pain to her already beaten psyche.

Maria slowly pulled away from Tommy's arms and she put her attention to the old survivor. "Thank you Joel, thank you for going back, I just … I had to know if anyone was left." She said as she dried her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Anytime Maria, honestly, I think we all needed to know …" Joel said in a soft tone.

Maria leans her back on Tommy's chest as he holds her shoulders with his hands, resting his cheek on the side of her head. The three stand calm and quiet a gave a moment of silence for those who had fallen.

Tommy looked to his brother and his wife before breaking the silence. "What do we do now …"

The three glanced at each other, they hoped to hear at least one of them to answer with a solution to their problems. Instead the no one said a word, unable to think of anything logical at the moment. Suddenly, before anyone can speak …

"Joel!"

The voice of a certain redheaded girl in a red plaid hooded jacket, jeans, and black and white sneakers. She broke the dreary quietness as she rushed toward the hardened survivor, she wrapped her arms around him in a strong hold and planted her face in his chest. She held him tightly and threatened not to let him go.

"Holy shit Joel, what the fuck took you so long? I thought you got hurt or your old man legs gave out on you. Don't ever keep me waiting that long ever again, or I'll kick your ass myself !" She said all in one breath, not letting him loose from her grasp.

Joel gave a small chuckle as his mouth formed a smile. "Ellie, you know nothings gonna take me down, sorry to keep you waiting baby girl." He said and returned a hug from his right arm.

Joel felt his brain work to gather its thoughts, the strength to push on and to do better built inside of him, the will to keep moving forward returned full force to his soul. Ellie always had the effect on him, she pushed him to make better for himself and to never settle for bullshit. Even when life baked a special cake with your name on it crafted of said shit. He'd think of plan, for Tommy, Maria, and the rest of the surviving members of Jackson, but most importantly he'd do it for the beautiful redhead squeezing the life out of him.

Joel became filled with confidence as he sighted Tommy and Maria "Come on, we gotta get moving, there's a trail leading to an old town not far from here, we need to …"

The heart jolting screams of infected near by caused the group to freeze in their tracks. The roars of pain and misery became louder and louder, echoing stomps of foot steps in the near distance told there's maybe ten or twenty heading their way.

"Shit their being attracted by the fire, anything can spot that miles away!" Tommy said as the group frantically re-equip their backpacks and gear.

The hardened survivor took Ellie's smaller hand in his own. "We gotta move, now!"

The surviving members of the fallen community stayed together as they moved hastily deeper into the lost corners of the forest, were the tough ruled of the outside world awaited them in treacherous embrace.

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><p>Please review and throw me a comment on what you think! Thanks for reading :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

**Out of Options**

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><p>The group of survivors sprinted full speed, pressing on further and panting deeply with the fear of infected right on their tracks. They traveled in a single file line and hoped they would finding an area of safety away from the mass horde of infected closing in behind them. They ran straight on into the seemingly eternal night. The warm rays of the morning sun was nowhere in sight.<p>

Joel came to a halt, below his feet sat a road sign buried partially in the dirt Displaying "_Welcome to Eastwood Town"._ Joel sighed in relief, they finally made it to their only chance of escaping the swarm of monsters closing in on them.

He slowed to a stop and turned to face the small group of ten behind him. "Look! There it is, we can take shelter in the old town bank!The steel security doors will keep them out, But we gotta stay out of sight!" He shouted against the brutal winds. His fingers held Ellie's hand in gentle but firm grip.

Maria jogged up beside him and looked at the ruined town below the hills. "They look secure enough, so that will have to do. Lets pick it up people!" The blonde said. she moved forward and took up the lead.

They trekked on, using the rest of their depleting energy just to make it through the grass consumed road. Soon, they reached the parking lot of the old bank and Joel kicked open the main double doors to the bank. He scanned all sides of the ruined build with his black revolver and carefully pushed forward. Tommy followed his brohter inside and the two quickly searched the enclosed areas of the vaults and halls way. They kept their guns locked and ready, ensuring no deadly surprises came afoot and ruin their last-minute plans.

"All clear!" Joel called out, aiming his revolver while using his other hand as a stabilizer/flashlight holder.

"Yeah, I'm good at this end too!" Tommy yelled back.

The brothers signaled Maria,and right after the blonde women rushed inside the bank with the group right behind her. Once the last person ran through, she sealed the front doors by cramming a metal chair in the handles.

The group of survivors took in their surroundings, this place had seen better days. The space looked beaten and rundown just like every other building in this long forgotten town. At the very Least, the decayed shack could keep the brutal winds and ice child rain off their tired worn out bodies for the time being. Or at least until the sun came up.

"Okay everyone, stay close to one another and keep away from the windows. With any luck the infected should pass by us, we just hold on till then …" Tommy called out to the small band of people.

The moment Tommy finished his speech, the small sense of safety the group felt became ripped away. The disturbing roar of pissed off infected echoed from a near by place. Joel rushed to the nearest window and spotted the source of the horrific screams. The horde of infected the former Jackson members tried to outrun were now rushed in their direction. The painful effort they used to put distance between themselves and the monsters wasn't enough. More than twenty infected human beings rushed their way, roaring and screaming in a blood rage of hunger and instinct. They Ready to rip the survivors apart piece by piece.

"Shit, what do we do, what do we do?! They'll tear this place down, or traps us in here!" One woman yelled out.

"_God damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen, this was our last chance to hide from those fucking things!" _Joel cursed himself.

"Mom! what do we do?! The clickers are gonna get us!" A boy cried to his mother and held on to her side.

A another man edged away form the front entrance, his face struck with panic as the harsh, pulsating winds slammed against the main steel doors.

"Maria, Tommy, Joel, what do we do?! Should we run or should we try to fight! What the fuck are our options here?!" Another man yelled out.

Maria backed away from the windows, horror covers her face as she stares on at the incoming army of infected "I … I don't know damn it, everyone get back!"

Joel eyes scanned over the small crowd of frightened men, women, and children, his own thoughts worked against him. "_This is my fucking fault, my terrible call! I gotta do something!" _He felt the tight hold of a pair of hands lock on to his arm, he to his side to meet eyes with Ellie, his Ellie.

"_You're not dying in this shit hole of town, Ellie. I promised to protected you, now I got no choice but to do something crazy. Please, don't hate me for this baby girl …"_

Joel quickly slipped his backpack off his shoulders, gaining the attention of redheaded girl and his brother Tommy, he then made his way to the door. Without a word, he pulled out the last batch of bullets he had and handed over his the backpack to Ellie. She looked at him with deep concern and confusion as Joel pushed past the small gathering and headed straight for the main doors, he started to pull loose the metal chair that sealed the place shut.

"Joel, Joel the hell do you think you're doing ?!" Tommy rushed up and pulled his brothers hands off the makeshift door lock.

"I'm going to draw these ugly bastards away from the group! Stand back from the goddamn door so I can get out there!" Joel shouted at Tommy with adrenaline fueled urgency.

Ellie ran to his side, her heart beat immediately sped up at the sound of his insane words."What?! Are you fucking crazy, I'm not letting go out there, we'll find another way Joel!" She shouted at the older man.

"Baby girl, we don't have any other choice, if I don't something then we're all screwed!" Joel said, brag on the door, forcefully pulling on the blockage in his way.

Ellie latched on his arm, not letting go "Joel, Joel, please, please stop! You don't have to do this, we can think of something, just stop!" She yelled out frantically.

The doors flew open by the force of his strength, causing Ellie to panic even more. "No, no, no Joel don't go out there, the infected will rip you apart! please don't leave, don't leave me, damn you!" She pulled with all her might to stop him.

Tommy watched the scene unfold. He didn't what his big brother die from his insane plan, but it was the only choice they had of making it out of this nightmare alive. The others from the group stood with shocked expressions at Joel's decision. It was unclear if someone should intervened. But, dispute the Joel's choice, the group felt it wasn't their choice to make.

Joel turned around and calmly grabbed the hysterical girl by the shoulders and he looked her in the eyes. "Baby, listen to me, I going to draw them away from here, I need you to go back and stay hidden until Tommy and Maria say it's safe to come out. I'll do my best to make it back, but I need you to listen to every word they tell you … I love very much." He said and pulled her into a warm hug.

A lines of tears ran down her face, the words Joel told her seeped into her brain. "_It … it sounds like he's saying goodbye."_

She latched onto his body once again "Oh no you don't you mother fucker! Your not leaving me, so stop acting crazy and get back in here! We can hold out for as long as it takes, stop this bullshit right now!" She held a stronger grip on him, tears fell from her eyes and on to his chest.

Joel looked over to Tommy and Maria, his face showed deep anguish over tear ridden girl. Joel called them over, and the pair nodded their heads with sadness knowing what they had to do.

Joel released Ellie from his arms, but she fought to stay in close contact with him. Maria lightly but firmly grabbed hold of the girl and pulled her back into the safety of the old bank. Ellie struggled and thrashed to get loose of her clutches, but Maria pulled the distraught girl into a loving hold from behind, trying her best to calm her down.

"Ellie, Ellie honey, please we need to go inside! Everything's gonna be alright, were here for you, all of us are …" She said to her, her own tears begins to release and fall down the side of her face.

It pained the heart of his soul, but he knew had a job to complete, a mission to keep his girl alive. His eyes never left her beautiful light-skinned face as he backed up slowly to get one last picture of his baby girl.

"No, no please let me go! Let me go, I said let me go, damn you! Joel stop, don't fucking do this, Joel wait, come back, come back! Please … I love you …" She said with the last bit of her body's energy.

Ellie found herself feeling weak, she was unable to control the tears that fled her eyes as she finally broke down. The young woman lost the will to fight back against the blonde couples strong grip. Tommy felt her body grow weaker and weaker as she sat on her knees. He calmly leaned her back into right arm as he slide his left arm under her legs lifting her off the ground with her head leaning on his chest.

"Why ... why'd he do this to me? Why did you let him go …" Ellie said under her breath with her eyes closed. Tommy carried her back inside, out of the pouring rain and inside the safety of the old bank's walls.

His attention was brought to Joel, he watched his brother run head on at the enraged mob of infected out in the distance. His eyes never looked away as he preyed for his brothers safe return. His vision becomes block as Maria sealed the doors once again.


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

**LAST CHANCE**

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><p>Explosive echoes of shots rang out from the barrel of a black revolver, multiple bullets flew into the horde of infected and cut through a few unlucky monsters in the head and dropped them as their skulls burst into pieces. Joel rushed head on into the swarm, out of ammo, out of energy, but nowhere near out of the will to fight. He targeted his closest enemy in front of the rest, a runner who unintentionally lead the infected pack. The old survivor charged his right fist back, and then brought his knuckles down to the head of the runner, taking it down to the ground; he takes a stand over it body then launches his boot down to the infected skull and ended the hungry bastard in a puddle of brains and gore.<p>

"You want dinner; follow me this way you ugly bastards!" Joel shouted in an adrenaline fueled rage.

Joel sprinted at full speed, he ran against the forces of the harsh winds as he led the blood staved mob away from the safety of the old town bank. He ran further back inside the deep brush of the woods as the monsters closed in on his sorry ass. He took deeps breaths and desperately wiped the drops of heavy rainfall from his face, his adrenaline pumped through his body as he tried to save as much energy as possible.

_"God damn it, god damn it, Got think of something, fast!" He said as kept a steady pace_.

The lightweight pounding of fast gaining footsteps caught his attention from behind, an infected runner passed the rest of the horde and climbed close to the old survivor with each step it took. Joel cracked open his revolver, he hastily reached in his pocket and felt the solid texture of two bullets. He realized they were his last shots he had left, the old survivor regretfully placed the bullets in the cartridge the sealed it shut

He moved forward full speed on through the shadow like forest, he peeked back behind him as the runner began to close the gap between them, his heart pumped at its max, the rain fell and mixed with the gathered sweat from his face which made it almost impossible to see. Any longer and his life would come to a gory end, he lifted his arm, took aim the best he could and BAM! The round exploded from the barrel and slammed into the head of the gaining runner that sent the corrupted monster to the muddy ground.

_"Take a bite of that you mindless fuck!"_

Despite his small victory, Joel continued on, he thought of a logical plan to get himself out of his shit situation, when suddenly, CRACK!

His right foot came in direct contact with a mangled stop sign hat stuck out of the muddy road side; he tripped with the full force of his body weight and went crashing to the rain drenched floor.

"Ah, son of a bitch, my, my ankle, shit it hurts!" He cried out.

A flash of thunder and lightning rained out above, Joel quickly and painfully climbed to his knees. A second flash of lightning shot across the sky, but this time the light drew his attention, he looked up to another large road sign just a few feet ahead reading _Fort Madison Military Station, Research Garrison outpost 2._

Joel eyes widened, his mind hatched an idea just crazy enough to work. "I can draw these damned infected to the military; they gotta have enough firepower to take out ten hordes!"

The erratic blood cries of starved infected surged through the air.

Joel took that as warning and he quickly climbed to his feet but instantly regrets the hasty maneuver as the sudden shift of pressure to his foot sent a signal of extreme pain through his body, as if he stepped barefooted on the point of a dull knife.

_"Ah! Shit, shit, shit that isn't good, I gotta get moving, my ass is grass if I don't get the hell out of here!"_

The torturous shocks of pain do nothing to slow the man down, he hobbled along the grass covered roads as he tried to put his last second plan it to play. "_This is gonna a be a close one. If this stupid plan goes as it should, then that means I'm pretty much walking straight into a firing range."_ He thought with pinches of doubt that flooded his brain as he made the struggle down the straight shot of road.

In no time at all Joel made it to the final stretch of the base, but when the thick brush and massive trees clear his view, his hope became ripped out once again. He's introduced to window shattered buildings and small pockets of burning fire though sections of the base. Debris and the bodies of soldiers littered the ground just beyond the safety of the chain link fences. The absolute worst aspect of this discovery was the place seemed to have been attacked only moments ago, much to the old survivor's rotten luck.

"What?! No, no, no, this isn't happening! You got be fucking shitting me! What the fuck do I do now?!" He said as he roughly wiped the accumulated sweat from his forehead.

Similar sounds to thunderous wrath of the dark skies, the ear shattering roars of the infected reached out to Joel's ears and dug down to the pits of his stomach, the relentless beasts were still hot on his tracks.

He gave the ruined base a quick scan for any options that might better his chances of survival, his eyes locked on to what seemed like the main building to the entire compound. The structure was perfectly intact with the inside partially lit, almost like the place invited him to an impeccable safe haven away from the infected madness.

The glowing beams of bright lights shined from the doorway of the main building which led him like a highlighting path to freedom. With a shift kick to the doors, Joel barged through; his eyes shot around him as he took in the scenery and noticed the building's even bigger on the inside. Besides the small pockets of blood on the walls and floors, they're all covered in tiles of pure white, there were large tables and counters filled with strange pieces of technology and as well as computers that took up space all over the room. Glass tubes, bizarre shaped beakers and a long with white and orange-colored metal barrels spread throughout the area. But the most eye-catching object was easily the sizable cylinder shaped pod in the center of the room.

"_This doesn't seem like a typical military set up, the hell were they doing here?"_ Joel said to himself as he carefully moved closer to the container.

He was able to see right through the glass constructed pod, it sat on the ground and almost reaches all the way up the ceiling. The cylinder shaped pod looked like a scientific aquarium filled with water, pipes and loose wires hung from the ceiling and dipped in the pod which covered both sides with a spacious steel gated walkway that led up the opening at the top.

_"Almost looks like a person's supposed to climb in that thing …"_

Once again, the nightmarish roars of the impending infect snapped Joel's mind back into action. He instinctively backed up into one of the many barrels and knocked it over. Out flowed from the barrel came yellowish-clear liquid that gave off a distinctive scent the seasoned survivor instantly picked up on.

_"Jesus Christ, gasoline, the damn things got gas in 'em, and I'm surrounded by the stuff."_

Just then, a another insane scheme worked its way into his head, his sight's drawn to the massive water filled pod in the room, his head moved in a swivel as he took a quick moment to observe his surroundings once again. He immediately limped over to another barrel and gave the metal cylinder a strong kick and knocked it over to the side spilling the contents inside all over the white tile floor. He then moved on to another and another until the entire rooms surface became drenched with the in the noxious fumes of the yellowish liquid.

Joel hobbled to his place on the end of the ramp that led to the top entrance of the pod, his right hand descended into his back pocket, his fingers resurfaced with a small silver item clutched between them, he brought the silver item closer to his face and with the roll of his thumb he flipped the igniter and sprouted a tiny flame at the top.

He placed his attention on the main doors, his eye squinted as the slight sense of victory began to occupy his body. "Come on in you bastards, let's see how hungry you are when your ass's get charred into ash." He said as he waited impatiently for his moment of action.

The horrid screams erupted into the room as the enraged swarm busted inside the compound. They clawed and shoved past one another and shattered the main doors to bits as they trampled over computers and other scientific contraptions. The menacing horde sent countless pieces of metal, plastic, and glass in every direction, they were hell-bent on having the grizzled survivor as their four-course meal.

Not a second after the beasts broke down the doors, the sacred silver lighter left the comfort of Joel's hand and landed flame first to the gasoline cover floors. A single tap on the ground ignited with an overpowered spark that transported the entire build in raging inferno of hell and misery. Fire traveled at the speed of sound as it burned through anything and everything as the fiery destruction climbed the wall and engulfed the entire ceiling.

At the same instant, Joel high tailed it up the steel ramp and jumped into the safety of the massive water tank in the hopes of not getting cooked alive. His lower half touched down inside the pod but then, the searing flesh of an infected arms wrap around themselves his neck which stopped him from fully submerging his body into the lifesaving liquid. He launched his fist at the disgusting face of the fire engulfed clicker, he painfully burned his hands with each power strike he did. The relentless choke hold the infected kept him in began to scorch the flesh around his chest and neck and forced the man to cry out in agony.

The blazing clicker fought with a vicious might to claim its prey as the spreading fire ate away at the mindless monsters body. It tried in one last attempt to kill the human being caught in its grasp, The clicker gaped its mouth wide open and slammed down its teeth and jaw on Joel's neck and shoulder.

"ARGH, y-you bastard, I'll kill you!" Joel shouted with deep pain and rage.

The blistered, charred ceiling began to crack and crumble, a huge chunks of roof snapped off and began to rain down on the burnt corpses of infected below. More portions broke away just above the Joel and the attacking clicker, huge sections came crashing down from above the two. The piece hit the unsuspecting clicker and crushed its skull as the rest smashed into Joel. The clicker slummed over the protective railing and fell with lifeless thump on the bunt surface of the floor. Joel was freed but impact on his head from the fallen debris forced him down deep under water and sealed off the entryway of the pod.

The pain inflicted to his cranium turns cold and numb; his vision became shaky and blurry as he bled from his neck and head. The sound of the outside world became muted as he took in the destructive beauty of fire and chemical explosions all round him.

"_I … I did it … I'm sorry, this is the best I could do …Ellie, Tommy, Maria … I'm so sorry." _Joel struggled to comprehend his own thoughts as the lack of oxygen started to take its toll on his brain. .

He closes eyes as the pain pushed him further into unconsciousness. With no choice, he decided to let life play out as it should, to make his torment and suffering exist no more. But then, out of nowhere his brain shifted into overtime and started to work against him, recent memories played out in his bleeding skull, the shouts and cries of people who trusted him played back like a haunted tape recorder.

"_No, no please don't go, don't go! Joel stop, don't fucking do this, Joel wait, come back, come back! Please … I love you …"_ The echoed calls from a redhead's gentle voice ran through his mind.

The eyes of his tired body flashed open.

The fading survivor jolted to life, his heartbeat pumped faster and faster, the contract on the old mans will to live instantly became reinstated by the tender callings of Ellie, his Ellie.

"_I'm not gonna end up as just another person you've lost, I'm not gonna be just another bad memory in beautiful workings of your mind, not this time baby girl."_

The damaged glass casing of the pod cracked in different sections, they increase and spread like clear vines of a rose as the explosion ceased.

The sudden rush of adrenaline and strength boosted him like a gift from life itself. He grabbed a firm grip of the steel handles on his left and right, and with a powerful kick from his mighty boot he slammed in an infinite volley of force and strength on the thick glass surface of the cylinder container. Over and over his foot smashed the damaged surface of the imprisoning glass walls, his tenacity increased.

SNAP!

Without warning, the glass surface gave way to the old survivor's devastating blows; the many fractures of the pod shattered and busted open and released a tidal wave of thick clear colored liquid out on the fire ridden tiles of the floors that put out the chaotic flames and all its fury.

Joel lied motionless on his back as he took in the sweet gulps of fresh air, his line of sight had nowhere to face but up at the wonderful warming beams of light from the golden sun's rising presences. He achingly lifted his left hand to his face and wiped off the thick and clear gel like substance. He rubbed out the liquid against the tips of his fingers with his thumb, investigating its strange features.

"_Well, whatever the hell was in that pod, it sure as shit ain't water … I hope that's not a bad thing …"_

Joel dropped his hand back down to his side, his eyes lids felt increasingly heavy as the edges around his vision became clouded with darkness. With the tilt of his head, hes introduced to the wonderful sight of the dawning sun, his mouth forms into a tiny smile as he stares on at the horizon, before the heavy grasp of unconsciousness claimed him as its own.

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><p>Please take moment and tell me what you think, your guys comments keep me going!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

**REBORN**

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><p>"Ellie, Ellie honey please slow down, we don't even know if it's clear out here yet." Maria said as she follows closely behind her trying to keep up.<p>

"Of course we know its safe out here, you think Joel would ever do something half-ass when it comes to getting rid of infected, that's just not the man's style." The redhead pushed on, she stepped over large patches brush, cutting her path clear of overgrown trees with her trusty machete.

Tommy rushed towards Ellie and grabbed hold of the stubborn girl's arm, he tried to get her to slow down for the rest of the group as well as for her own protection.

"Girl, hold your horses, just where the hell do you think you're rushin' of too!" Tommy said, annoyed by her lack of rational thinking when it came to her own self-made plans.

Ellie's body swelled up with anger as she yanked her arm out of Tommy's clutches "The fuck do you mean, you know damn well where WE need to go! The explosions we heard, the huge trail of smoke nearby, that's obviously the work of Joel, the bastard could be in trouble and I'm gonna help him!"

Maria walked up to the two butting heads and hoped she could put a stop to any potential fights that might happen. "Ellie, honey, how could you possibly know he's the cause of what happened?" She said in soft tone of voice.

"I … I just know okay, trust me, when that man fights for his life, he fights with everything he has!" Ellie yelled back at the blonde couple as she walked off in the direction of the smoke.

Tommy let out a deep sight as moved to catch up with her. "Ellie, we can't just rush towards the first signs of danger, we don't even know if ... if ... "

The redhead quickly turned around and cut off words."You don't know what? If Joel's still alive, well I know he's still kicking, I can feel it. And I can also feel that he needs me and nothing's gonna stop me till I find him!"

"Damn it girl, Ellie wait!" Tommy called to her as she ran off deeper into the forest.

Tommy, Maria and the rest of the group are left with no choice but purse the headstrong girl, they picked up the pace and followed the best they could after her.

The heavy stomping a middle-aged, heavy-set man in a white stained muscle shirt, tan pants and brown muddy boots took his place next Tommy and Maria as they played catch up to Ellie.

"Hey, Tom, Maria where the hell we heading in such a god damn hurry, some of us gotta rest, you know!" The man said as he struggled to keep up with the pair.

"Please, not now Roger, just keep up and we'll tell you when we get there." Tommy said, the man wasn't in the mood to explain the situation.

The burly man let out an annoyed grunt and wiped the sweat from his shaven head as he fell back behind the two. He took his place with the rest of the group and rolled his eyes, he knew why the young women was in such here, and that annoyed him even more.

The others Followed Ellie's lead and soon made it to the source of thick black haze of smoke from the dead fires. One by one the survivors slowed into a steady walk as they realize that the source from all the previous chaos had come from this destroyed Military base.

Ellie stopped at the main gates of the beaten compound, she took in the brutal destruction as the sight of falling ash, burnt rubble, and the dead bodies decaying solders cover the ground. She breathed in deeply as she viewed the ruins of the demolished base, she looked for any signs of life as she carefully moved ahead. Her eyes immediately dropped to main build that seemed to have been focus the compound's destruction.

Straightaway, she suddenly stuck with an intense mix of relief and panic; a familiar figure lied motionless on the burnt tile floor inside the main building. Even with his body in its side and with his back faced towards her, she instantly recognized his favorite green and plaid button shirt wrapped around his thick build.

With tiny heedful steps, she knelt next to Joel's side, the clawing urge to check for his pulse burned deep down in the pits of her stomach. Inch by inch her hand hovered closer to his shoulder. There's a fifty percent chance that her touch would be met with the wonderful warmth of his body temperature, or would be met with the devastating coldness of a lifeless body's.

Playing with odds against a human's life was possibly THE worst game to play, especially when that human's a loved one.

Tommy, Maria and the rest of the group finally caught up, they instantly found the girl and the motionless body of Joel. The group stood back and waited, they weren't sure what they should do next.

Ellie shut her eyes as she tried with all her might to pull her emotions under control._ "I swear to fucking god, Joel if you're not breathing in these next few seconds, then I'm not going on any further …"_

To end the dreaded sickness in her stomach, she leaned forward and put her ear to his head. Heat radiated from his hair as she caught the faint sounds of his lungs sucking and releasing tiny sips of air through his nose.

The unbearable tension she felt instantly became replaced with joy. The redhead wrapped both arms around him as she finally let go of the deep breath she wasn't even aware she'd been holding.

"You mother fucker, don't you ever scare me like that again or next time I'm gonna …" Ellie stopped mid-sentence.

The sudden burst of happiness became ripped from her soul, the dreading sickness returned in full force.

Her eyes spotted the horrible wound of a bite on his neck, the bite of an infected, the bite of death.

"No, no ... oh god, what we gonna do Joel, what the fuck are we gonna do?" She whispered in the back of his head as a tear crawled down her cheek and land on the unconscious man under her.

Ellie gave no attention to the pair of footsteps that approached her side. "Damn it, damn it Joel, you always gotta be the fucking hero …" Tommy's said in soft tone as he place's his hand on his big brothers shoulder.

The two are given an only a few moments to mourn the inevitable death of the man they love, when suddenly the cocking a twelve gauge shotgun awakened the world around them. Complete shock filled the faces of the others in the group as the Tommy and Ellie looked to the source of the disturbance.

"Roger … what in the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tommy said, not letting go of his brother's shoulder.

"What's it look like I doing, he's infected, and so he's gotta be put down." Roger said as he aimed his weapon at the unconscious man on the ground.

"Put down?! He's my god damn brother, not some rabid dog you son of bitch!"

"Hey, I'm sorry alright, but what's done is done!" Roger fired back.

"What? You can't just give me this last bit of time with my family!"

"What else is there to do? I'm afraid that's how it goes Tommy; I don't make the damn rules, okay!"

Ellie immediately stood up and turned to face the heavy-set man, she pulled her pistol out from out behind her and aimed at the center of his skull. Her heart pumped into full gear, she body became infused with the building anger by Roger's cold words.

"Whoa, whoa little lady, what are you fixin' to do now?" Roger spoke up, fazed by the sudden move of the redheaded girl.

Killing another human being never appeared as a first reaction to take in the list of survival regulations in Ellie held in her mind, but for Joel, she would break the rules and then some if she had to. The big bastard had it out for Joel since the first time he seen the two survivors together. This constant hate he had for Joel never let up, the never-ending will to best him at anything he can just didn't end. Ellie wasn't sure why the man kept this insane jealousy, but she sure as hell knew the negative envy was there. This person was the last pile of shit she would have end her guardians suffering, and she wouldn't hesitate when it came to Joel.

"Little lady, you and I both know we ain't gotta choice." Roger said, he did his best to channel his inner negotiation skills.

Ellie hated that stupid nickname he'd given her, she decided to pull back the firing hammer on her pistol just because of that label alone. "Yeah, you would be the one to step up when Joel's life came into play, you sack of shit!"

The words slap him right across the face, hitting too close to home "Girl, just what in the fuck are you talking about now!" He shouts back, he instantly dropped his calm demeanor.

"Fuck you, I'm not blind you stupid bastard, you're the last person to make this call, so put the fucking gun down and kindly fuck off."

"This is complete bull shit; if he wakes up then all of us are in danger!"

"Who the hell are you to decide what happens to any of us!" She said as she took a step forward. "Did you hear me?! I said. Back. The. Fuck. Up!"

The sudden tight pressure of a hand grabs her own, she instantly became startled as she looked down at Tommy as he kept his eyes locked on his brother's body.

"Tommy? What the …" She tried to speak.

"Ellie, am I the only one seeing this shit?" The blonde man struggled to push the words out of his mouth.

Ellie was beyond confused at the man's statement, she knelt back down next to him and looked at the same area he was focused on. It's there she dropped her pistol to the floor as her eyes took notice of a major change to Joel's body.

The grotesque bit on his neck vanished, only leaving behind stains of blood where the wound should have been.

Her mouth hung open as the two looked at one another, they sat bewildered beyond all comprehension. Ellie reached down to Joel's neck and lightly slid her fingertips against the warm and pleasant texture of his smooth skin.

"The … the bite … it's gone, it's fucking gone …" Said Ellie as the nerves in her body went numb, heat rushed to her face, her mind doubted if this was really happening.

Tommy quickly but gently grabbed hold of his brother's head and shoulder, turning him on his back revealing a sight that would change the way they would looked at the world's reality around them.

The others from the group surround Tommy and Ellie; they held the same expression of shock and disbelief to what's displayed in front of them. Joel's cloths showed multiple signs of rips and burns that started from the collar of his shirt and all the way down to his boots. But the most obvious discovery they made was the astonishing transformation of his body's features. The many scars Joel accumulated over his years as he struggled to survive in this unforgiving world have disappeared. The marks seemed to have faded into nothing, as if the man never had any to begin with. Ellie grabbed his right hand and held his larger fingers in her palms; she instantly noticed that the dark brown patch of burnt skin on his upper thumb from his cooking accident was also no longer present.

She sat on the edge of her knees as she lifted the unconscious survivor's bloody shirt and revealed the smooth and toned surface of his abs, her eyes scanned the side of his lower stomach in search of a rebar size scar, instead she was met with nothing but more healthy clear skin.

"Holy shit … would you look at that …" Tommy said as he pointed to Joel's head, utterly lost in amazement.

The group's attention instantly became drawn to the salt and pepper strands of hair on his scalp as they slowly transition into pure jet black locks right before their eyes. Even his bushy beard wasn't spared from the unbelievable transition. Ellie carefully planted her hands at both sides of his face and turned his headed his side o side. She looked over the obvious changes to his face an noticed the many marks he wore from years of stress and hard brutal living were now all gone. The man's face she held so tenderly in her hands looked as if he hasn't aged a day, not a scar or even wrinkle remained on his body. For a split second, she almost didn't recognize the man. But she further inspection, this new face he wore was a familiar one. The old photo she found of Joel and his deceased daughter Sarah, the photo that shed just a glimpse into his past more than twenty years ago before the world went to shit, now matched his face more than ever. The young man in that picture is now the unconscious man she held in her arms.

"Tommy, how the fuck did this happen?" Ellie said, unable to fathom what happened to the old survivor.

"Good god, how the hell is this possible … the son of bitch looks he did when he used to pick me up from high school in his truck all those years ago … " Tommy responded to her, unable to answer her million dollar question.

Silence filled the air; no one moved an inch as the next steps to take remained unclear. Maria walked up to beside the two and she rested her hands on their shoulders as the loss for words struck her hard.

Ellie's heart pumped strong and fierce, determination sat itself back into her mind. She stood up tall and focused her attention to the blond man next to her. "Tommy come with me, now!"

The girl exited the scorched build without another word.

"What? Damn it Ellie, give me a second, where the hell you goin!" Tommy said as he ran to catch up to her.

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><p>If you have the time, please throw me a comment telling me what you think, they really keep me going!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

**WITHOUT YOU**

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><p>The mission to find temporary safe grounds proved to be a long and tiresome one. Adding hunger in the mix only made it even more of an uphill challenge that pushed many of the other group members on the edge of giving up on their brutal task of surviving the harsh world in front of them. Although, surrendering to the seemingly impossible challenges of the planet was always present in their reality, the choice was left unused by all member of the group.<p>

"_If Joel can live through a horrific event that he just went through, than maybe I can to." _Everyone moved forward, completely unaware that each of them thought these same thoughts in the safety of their own minds, but of course in their own words.

Positivity flowed through the hearts and minds of the veteran survivors as they pushed through the seemingly unbeatable hills and trails before them. Hope returned to the group with each step they took. Recovering Joel alive was the cause of their new-found source of willpower. Finding someone alive who you sure as hell thought met their own demise, would really boost any lack of motivation you might have had, especially if that person was thought about with great respect. Add in the findings of a full-sized portable medical tent, a pack of fresh medical supplies and top it off with a modest stock of military firearms and ammo, and now they_ knew_ they would make it.

The men of the group took on the task of hauling the unconscious man. Four men held the four corners of an emergency portable stretcher to lessen the weight for each other. Ellie moved in tandem with the lifters and only moved away from them to give them space when it was deemed absolutely necessary. Her eyes never left the face of her fallen protector as she brought up the rear of the stretcher, ensuring Joel was defended from all sides. Tommy and Maria pleaded multiple times with the redhead, they told her that she should be up in the front for her safety, but the couples reasonable requests fell on deaf ears.

The time finally arrived when the team of survivors located a sensible site for them to rest, recuperate, and rebuild themselves for the time being. The location was far from any towns and military bases that marked themselves on their old tattered map of the area, so in other words, the place would do for now.

The temporary place of solitude came in the form of an old forgotten camp ground that rested on a widespread mountain top. The stunning view of the lush summertime valley in the rising sun light almost made it worth the hike up the steep cliffs, almost.

With the group in agreement about their new living space, Ellie wasted no time in setting up the potable medic tent. With Joel in mind, she pushed herself to construct the mini hospital marquee as fast as she could. With the combined efforts of the group, they snapped together the forest green tent piece by piece in record time. Soon after, they moved the age-altered man out of the suns beaming rays and inside the thick nylon walls of the military tent, which was more like twenty by twenty gazebo if anything.

(...)

Joel slept on top of a brown lightweight travel cot, with a matching blanket that wrapped him up to his lower chest with his arms exposed on the sides of his body.

"_Just if he gets too hot, can never be too careful …" _Ellie said as she pulled away the back of her hand from his forehead.

Two days passed and still no signs of movement from the "reborn" survivor. The redhead sat by his side, she knew in her mind and in her heart he would wake from his slumber at any moment. She stayed hopeful as she dusted the tiny bits of cut hair from his neck and face. She sat down a pair of scissors and held up the old photo of him and his beautiful daughter Sarah next to his head, she used the picture as reference to help give him a much need trim.

"_Fuck yeah, I knew my cutting skill with a knife were above average, but damn, that's not bad. Maybe I could have been hairstylist if the world ever magically decides to go back to the way it was." _She said as she put the faded and slightly ripped photo back into his button shirt's front pocket.

Her fingers entwined with the sleeping man's left hand, she loses herself for a moment, her thoughts focused deeply about how life might have been if the outbreak never happened.

Rustling of the tents nylon doors sounds off behind her and alerts her someone's coming in.

"Hey Ellie, there any progress with the 'new guy' here?" Tommy's calm voice woke the redhead from her daydreaming and caused her to quickly pull her hands away.

Her face pointed at Joel as sat up straight on her stool, not wanting the blonde man to see her negative expression. "Tommy, looked at this, can I cut me some hair or can I cut me some hair." She said in a forced upbeat tone, trying to avoid answering his obvious question.

Tommy moved closer and gave his brother a once over. "Well damn, Ellie, I'd say that's a hell of a nice job you did there. Now it looks like the man's come out of time machine or somethin'." He said happily as he patted her on the shoulder.

Ellie continued to dust the pieces of hair off of her protector, unaware Tommy's inspected her as well.

"_Damn it girl, you look like you haven't slept in days, you need to rest and get your mind off this bastard brother of mine."_ He said.

"Ellie, he looks great, I think you should take a break, come on now, I need you do something for me." He said in calm manner.

The redhead sighed, still not showing her face to the blond man. "Tommy … really, I can't leave right now ... "

"Girl, you don't even know what I going to say …"

"Trust me; I already know what you're going to say." She said, her tone of voice grew with bits of anger.

"Ellie, all I want you to do is rest. Come on, I'm not asking for much here."

"Tommy, Maria already asked me the same thing a hundred times, and I told _her_ a hundred times, I'm. Not. Tired!"

Tommy pushed out a deep sigh from his chest and quickly thought of a way to get her mind off of Joel. "Well, if you're not tired then you wouldn't mind going hunting with a few of us from the group. I haven't seen you eat anything since yesterday morning."

Ellie's clenches her fingers together and closes her eyes._ "This guy's not going to quit, I … I just wanna be left alone …"_

"Thank you, Tommy, but I not really hungry ..." Her stomach betrayed her, and let out deep growl like a caged meat-deprived tiger. "Aw, fuck me …"

Tommy gave a tiny smirk as he crossed his arms. "So what's it gonna be, missy? You sleepin' in today or you gonna go with me to catch a nice big juicy buck for the group? Those are your only two options, and I'm not leaving till I get a straight answer."

Ellie leaned back and slouched down on her stool, the two choices Tommy left her with only equaled defeat in her eyes at the moment.

"Fine, fine Tommy, I'd rather go out and do something useful, instead of starving to death in my sleep like a jackass. So, let's go hunting … you friggin jerk." She said on monotone manner.

Tommy patted her shoulder and smiled at her cooperation, which in most cases that involved the headstrong girl, compliance with even simple rules was almost impossible at times.

"Good, that's what I like to hear, but if don't feel up to it, than I want you tell me, okay? I don't need my brother's girl collapsing under my watch. If that happens, the son of a bitch is gonna kick my ass when he wakes up." He said with mixed of seriousness and humor in his voice.

"That's not gonna happen Tommy, I good to go, really, I am." She said as she looked him straight in the eyes.

With that, the blond man made his way to the entrance of the tent and looked back at her. "Alrighty then, we'll meet up at the main trail in ten. We don't need to go far, so pack lightly." He said as he pined back the thick fabric door flaps to let the blinding afternoon sunlight spill inside of the tent.

Ellie felt relieved, the young woman had finally relaxed now that she and Joel held the military nylon house to themselves.

"Ugh, I thought the guy would _never_ leave." She said out loud in a joking manner.

She took Joel's hand in her own and looked at the man intently, she hoped to see any kind of movement from him now more that ever. "Come on, Joel, I got only ten minutes till Tommy drags me out of here, so if you're going to wake up, do it now …"

She gave his knuckles a gentle squeeze and slowly shook her head in disappointment. "Please, give me something you motherfucker … If you wake up when I not here, I swear on my life I'm gonna kick your ass."

The young woman ran her fingers down her face and reluctantly got up from the comfort of her stool. Her brain's thoughts began to descend deeply into the impractical side of her brain. She wished deeply for any possible way to wake him, be it_ impossible_ if such a way was possible.

Then suddenly, the image of the unconscious man waking for his timeless slumber played out like a old fairy tale.

The princess's warm lips brushed against his as a power energy sprouted around the pair. The unexplained force woke prince form his timeless sleep. He got up from his bed, spotted the distraught redhead girl and immediately wrapped his powerful arms around her in loving embrace. From there on, the awoken prince promised with gentle whispers in her ear she would never be alone in this world.

The scene played out similar like the old animated movies she had the rare privilege to see in her younger years back in the military zones.

"A kiss … a stupid kiss always woke the loved ones of the main character in almost every story I've seen and read about … maybe if I …"

She turned her head towards the doorway and listened to the distant sounds of the others talking, going about their day. She turned back to Joel, her heart beat quickened as she focused on the delicate shape of his lips.

"_The coast is clear ... I might not get another ..._

The young women leaned over her sleeping guarding, she pushed a loose strands of hair behind her ear as she studied every line and curve of the young man's smooth face. She bit her lip as she zeroed in on his own, she took in his scent as she inched closer and closer. With all or nothing, she shut her eyes and closed the half-inch gap between their bodies.

Her lips gently crashed down on his unsuspecting mouth; she became lost in the soothing warmth that radiated from his forehead, nose and cheeks. Her fingertips sluggishly slid down from his hair, to his side burns, and on his chin. She applied more pressure to his lips, the intense yet soft friction took over her senses and caused the young woman to yearn for more of him.

Ellie slowly pulled away from him, the nagging pulse of light-headedness took its toll on her. She wasn't sure if the cause of it was from the lack of air, or from Joel himself, but the dizziness was definitely there.

"Oh, man …" She said as she fought to relax herself and to control her temptation, the overpowering will to kiss him once more rose from the pit of her stomach.

"Ellie!?"

The sudden shout of a woman's voice sent a shock wave to Ellie's heart and caused her to freeze to a standstill. She slowly turned around and met eyes with Maria's upset expression for a split second, before she looked away.

"Ellie … Ellie, come here please …" Maria said, she felt major confusion surge through her brain as she struggled to say anything more.

The guilty redhead took her place in front of Maria, her face remained extremely tense, her cheeks glowed redder than a tomato as she stared intently at the ground below the two, as if she was on trial for a serious crime.

Maria stood in utter shock, she wasn't sure what to say to the young women._ "Should I talk to her about what I just witnessed, should I tell her was wrong to do what she did , should I be angry … am I even angry?" _These thoughts swarmed her mid as Ellie tried to escape the glare of the blond women.

"Honey … what, what were you doing … I'm mean, I know what it looked like, but I just want you tell me, what's going on?" She pleaded.

Maria prayed in the back of her mind that she just caught Ellie at an awkward moment, that her imagination played tricks on her well-being. She waited impatiently for the young woman to say something, anything; an excuse would even suffice at this point in time. Maria stayed on full stand by for Ellie to respond to her question, but instead, the young woman found a great and sudden interest in the dry dirt covered floor below them. The red head still held her vex/sheepish look on her face. The blond received nothing more except the continuation of uncomfortable tranquility.

Much to Maria's disliking, Ellie's silences said it all.

For the sake of ending the unpleasant situation between the two, Maria decided to speak. "Ellie ... go on, and met up with Tommy and the rest of group, their waiting for you. Go on now, honey."

Ellie doesn't wait for Maria to tell her twice, the redhead bolted out of the tent and headed straight for the blond man's hunting team, not having looked back once.

Maria released a deep sigh as she rubbed her fingers over her forehead. _"Ellie, I love with all my heart, but you're a handful at times, and now this? What am I going to do with you …"_

The blond woman peeked over to Joel; her mind wandered about what he might have said about the current situation. _"So much has happened to you Joel, the loss of the town, this new change to your body, and now this. You care for her like a father, combined with everything else that's happened, I don't know how you're gonna take this change to your life …"_

Maria moved to Joel's bedside and picked up Ellie's books, clothes and spare weapon parts she left out to keep herself busy at Joel's side. It's there; Maria picked up a pair of scissors and notices the man's shorter hair on his face and head.

"_Oh, Joel, if ... when you wake up, it's gonna be a whole different world for you, now in more ways than one …"_

With that, she put the scissors inside Ellie's back pack and placed it on the stool. She made her way to the entrance way of the tent and grabbed the door flap's latches. She then proceeded to close them down to seal out the light of the young afternoon sunshine.

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><p>Please, throw me a review if you have the time!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

**Hunter Gatherers**

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><p>"<em>Damn it, god fucking damn it, Maria, I still had five minutes till we had to leave. Why the fuck did you barge in on me like that? I wasn't doing anything … I, I wasn't doing anything, I swear!" <em>Ellie said, she fought back and forth with herself in the safety of her mind, she tried her best to shove out the embarrassment that kept its grasp on her.

She walked behind the rest of the hunting party as her thoughts took her out of the world around her. She moved in tandem with the others despite not really paying attention to where she and the others were going. Each step she took was filled with fiery anger and blazing humiliation. She focused her overbearing irritation at the only logical person at the moment, and that person was Maria. But, Ellie knew better. Maria didn't do anything wrong, it wasn't like the blond woman purposely tried to catch her at really awkward moment, she just made a bad move at a bad time.

"_It wasn't what it looked like, really, I was just … I was just trying to …"_ Again she fought her inner thoughts for the hundredth time.

But again, that was just another thing Ellie was well aware she lied to herself about. The split instant the idea popped into her head that kissing Joel was a good plan, she knew it was wrong. But, deep down she wasn't sure why she wanted to feel his lips on hers.

It was just another thing she didn't have answers for.

These confused and overpowered feelings in her heart for him fell hard, but this hidden affection became a reality way before his new transformation. At one time he was merely her protector, but over time their relationship grew into powerful friendship, hell, she told most he was her best friend, someone who not only stayed by her side but defended it with everything he had. But, the longer he stayed with her, the more he helped her when the world treated her like a shit. He made her laugh and filled her with happiness which pushed out the ugliness of the world. Which now, drew her closer to him.

Where else do go from there? The two survivor's alliance evolved from becoming forced to travel with one another, to guarding each other's backs, then somewhere in their dangerous travels transformed into the strong need to be around each other, almost all the time. So, the one and only last step in the evolutionary chain of their partnership left only one step to upgrade to, and that was something she was greatly unfamiliar with, which only frustrated Ellie even more. To the young women's strength, she was familiar with the foreign and toxic grip of love … Although that came to an abrupt and unfair end.

Then, her mind began to wander further into the dark and endless abyss that was her brain. Could these be the feeling she held the most important man in her life? She was well aware of the age differences the two had, and with the last clinging old world morals Joel held closely to his heart, the redhead knew a romantic relationship with a girl in the "younger crowd" would be huge no-no in his eyes.

She could picture how it would go down in her mind, she would spill her guts to him, and then, he would reject her like the hardheaded, stubborn bastard he is. Then soon to follow would be the endless heart wrenching embarrassment of her feelings for him, feelings left to forever haunt them and whatever would be left of their uncomfortable and shattered friendship. So, for both their sakes, she decided to keep her thoughts as thoughts and nothing more. She loved him that much was for sure. But_ how _did she love him? That led to whole new chapter of feelings she felt it deep in the pits of stomach. And so, her mind told her it was best to love him from afar, this way the powerful bond the two held for each other wouldn't have to die for own her selfish needs.

"_Yeah, you love someone so much, you figure its best to stay away from them … That definitely sounds like the bullshit heroic path Joel would take." _She said glumly.

From this point on Ellie knew she had to push the thoughts and images of the man out her mind. She needed all of her focus and damn sure didn't need to screw up this hunt because of her stupid childish feelings. So the best plan of action was to forget about the man … at least for the time being.

_Joel, who? _That was the path she needed to take, for now. She couldn't lose concentration when the others' lives were in play. One slip up out here and they could miss out on food and starve to death, or worse, someone could die. So, for now she had to push the thoughts of the Jo- … the _survivor, _out of her brain and keep her mind on the task at hand.

Tommy raised his hand in the air signaling for the group to halt. "Alright everyone we got something, sit tight for a second." He said in a low pitch.

With that, the group stopped in their tracks, dropping low where they stood and took cover by any trees and bushes that were large enough to hide their bodies. They waited in complete silence trying to see what gave Tommy a reason to stop their progress.

Another minute had gone by as Ellie looked on and took in her surroundings. She took a quick count of everyone and their weapons they had on them, just in case bandits were waiting up ahead. She spotted a dark-skinned, teen by the name of Adam, the youngest and the thinnest of the men in the group only a year older than Ellie. Adam waited behind the safety of large stump with a bow slung over his back. Nervousness was present on his face, but the young man still kept a firm guard up. To the right of him was Dwayne, a middle-aged, husky, tan skinned fellow with a long black braid that hung from his head, he held a well-worn, black full auto assault rifle closely in his arms. Ellie didn't know him personally but heard the man was really into sports, and that definitely showed on his body. Of course there was Tommy; the blond man took his place in front of the group with his old-fashioned single shot rifle. He worked the long-range scope as binoculars, he used the six times zoom to his advantage and scanned the immediate area for whatever he saw.

And last and sure as hell Ellie's least favorite of the surviving group was Roger. The idiot cradled his usual 12 gauge shotgun under her arm as he took a knee beside a rotted tree stump. For some weird reason, the redhead occasionally felt the big bastards eyes look over in her direction, She a hundred percent sure his eyes peek at her from time to time, but why? All she knew was that it really made her uncomfortable, and that was that.

"Right there, deer, we got two big ones about thirty feet ahead of the trail. Tommy whispered. "Alright everyone, lets pick the pace, but keep the volume at zero, or else we go hungry."

The blond man stated, he moved forward taking up the lead with his rifle gripped and ready to fire. The rest of the group fell in behind him, but gave a few feet space between one another to cover more ground. Ellie carefully unslung her bow as she moved up with the group. She locked in an arrow between her fingers and she set it on the center of the bow, readying it to fire on when ready. Her eyes scanned through the tall grass and overgrown plant life surrounding her, her senses focused on spotting the deer Tommy marked. She also kept herself ready for any potential dangers that might be lurking ahead; she's never been one to let her guard down. and now wasn't the time to start.

Despite the many pitfalls of hunting and gathering food, the important yet straightforward mission always helped Ellie clear her mind of any problems she might have had. Hunting made her focus at the task at hand, to put petty problems to the side and move on. This was one of many jobs she worked just to survive, which always put her world as ease whenever there was one to many problematic situations in her life. Hunting, although risky, almost worked like a game of chance. But, it was always something she knew she could fall back on when she need to clear her head. She could track her prey, discover its location, and take it down with a swift and well placed shot to the heart with either her trusty bow or her single shot rifle. She could pull off incredible takedowns to any size game, and single-handed if needed be. Which, in all honesty she preferred on most occasions.

But, she had to admit, hunting in a group was nice change of pace.

The survivors spread out in a straight line from each other as they covered more of the lush jade timber lands. Ellie stayed off the far right, her sights tracked a pair of fresh prints in the muddy grass below. She immediately moved on, the tip of her thumb pressed harder against the end of the arrow that rested on her bow.

The crashing sounds of a rough river stream sounded in the distance ahead. That meant more than likely these tracks would soon come to an end.

Ellie crouch walked forward and leaned on a fallen moss-covered pine tree, providing her perfect cover. Red and gold leafs danced and rained from the branches of oak trees that hung above. Light gusts of wind swept against her body, the cool breeze felt amazing against her heated skin and relaxed her tired body. But, the main aspect of the winds actually helped to keep her body's sent down wind, which in turn, kept her prey from sniffing out her and the others of the group.

Her eye locked on to a dark brown, healthy frame animal with impressive size antlers that sprouted from its head. The large buck drank from the flowing steam, fully exposed and completely unable to detect the stalking young woman just a few feet behind it.

"_Target sighted, and its big fucker, holy crap! We're gonna be sitting pretty if I can snag this mother fucker!"_

Almost like pure instinct, Ellie confidently lifted her bow firmly in her grasp in a quick but smooth motion. Her arms flexed as she pulled back her lethal shot and aimed carefully at her unsuspecting prey. Her aim was steady, but doubt filled her mind. She didn't feel the shot was sure thing at this range, even with her skill, she felt it was best to move up and take a better position.

_ Better safe than sorry._

That old world saying popped into her head, the one she learned form a close individual. An individual she was trying to keep out of her thoughts for the time being, at least until she wasn't in need of excellent concentration skills.

Ellie quickly popped out of her cover and maneuvered around the fallen pine tree. She carefully cut through the overgrown patches of grass that were tall enough to scratch against her elbows, she didn't want to push her luck, but shooting an arrow at that distance and through the lush plant life of the forest could have proved less effective.

_Better safe than sorry. _

The phrase relays in her head, but this time in the stern but loving voice of someone she cared for … someone she really missed …

_Joel …_

Her heart sunk down to her stomach.

Her finger released the shot. The arrow flew from her bow, cut through the air and struck a nearby dirt mound. The buck immediately lifted its head and darted to the left of the stream, it picks ups speed even faster as it spotted the redhead.

"_Son of bitch, Wait, I wasn't ready!"_

Ellie swung her legs over the downed trees and sprinted full speed at her evading prey.

"Oh no you don't, get back here you four-legged fuck!"

The running buck only made it a few more feet, when suddenly the animal lost its balance and slammed down to the dirt and grass in painful ragdoll-like stop.

Ellie jogged up to lifeless the buck, her eyes squinted and forehead tensed. She bent down to her knees and turned the bleeding animal over; she instantly spotted a steel shot arrow sticking out of its upper rib cage, which seemly struck the buck directly in the heart.

"What the fuck? This isn't my Arrow … how the hell ..."

Ellie stood up, the odd feeling of another set of eyes hit here instantly at that moment. She's being watched, she could feel it. She slowly turned her head to an approaching figure from behind her.

(...)

His eyelids slowly rose; the blinding beams of light pierced his retinas with a powerful force, which caused him to shield his face. The man could feel the enticing grasp of the midday sun's warmth. The heating light was much brighter to his liking, but it was a damn nice change seemingly infinite darkness his body had felt for who knows how long. The experiences he felt, it was impossible to explain. He was so sure he was dead, or in limbo. The awoken man thought maybe he was in some kind of trance, or even in a hallucination. But, the one thing he was damn sure of was he wasn't asleep. Well, not in a traditional sense. He bought his hands up to his face and gently rubbed across his eyes, he swallowed to clear his dry, scratchy throat as blinked to further clear his vision.

"What the in the world happened to me ... Where am I? This is impossible, I shouldn't be here … where is _here_, anyways?" Joel said to himself through tired grunts.

As much as he enjoyed the comfort of his medial cot, Joel decided it was best to check his surroundings and get his ass moving. He carefully lifted his back and pulled his legs off to the side of the cot, he used his arms and gave himself a boost off of the dark green bed. He stood tall and strong, with a few turns and twists he stretched arms, back, neck, and legs in firm but gentle motions. He expected to feel the jolts of pain in his muscles and joints he usually felt when he awoke from an uncomfortable slumber. Instead, the soothing release of pressure as his body relaxed into a normal position.

"_What? Well … alright then …"_

The veteran survivor had already grown use to the usually pops and pains that struck his body now and then, but now he felt nothing as flexed both of his hands open and closed.

"_Strange … but hell, I ain't gonna complain. I guess getting' old ain't so bad some days, despite what Ellie says … Shit! Ellie!" _

Joel felt a swell of anger as he realized he forgot about his baby girl. He hastily grabbed a fresh pair of cloths from his pack, - a grey button shirt and dark blue jeans and quickly threw on his dark brown boots. He never took his eyes off the entrance as he got dressed and made his way next to the doorway of the tent. He listed for anything out of the ordinary; his ears took in the various noises around him. He heard the faint sounds of a two others taking close by.

A few more seconds passed and his ears picked up another female voice at a louder volume, then it hit him.

"_Maria!"_ He recognized her voice, it didn't sound like she was in trouble so he let his guard down just a bit.

Joel rushed out of the tent and immediately noticed the great set up they had established. A modest size campfire burned just a few feet in front of him, surrounded by a three downed tree logs. To his right, he spotted another military style tent similar to the one he walked out of. At a quick glance he noticed a few well-kept pistols and assault rifles were laid out on foldout table, as well as a hand full of portable med kits next to them.

He then looked over to his left and saw small group of women and a boy sitting at an old picnic table. They talked among themselves holding positive attitudes as they joked and laughed. The survivor spotted his sister-in-law Maria; the blond woman took her place in the center of the group. Next to her was a younger Asian women named Jean, Joel remembered when he became partnered with her on his first wall guarding shift back in Jackson. Opposite of her was Alicia, the Latina sat closely with her boy, Jordan. Although, the kid wasn't hers in a biological sense, that didn't stop Alicia from treating the ten your old like own son. And finally, the one who was most likely the cause of the group's laughter was the well-known Alex. The dark brown-skinned woman was always the life of the party when the town held a get-together for drinks of her homemade moonshine.

Joel tried to keep his mind off of the fallen town Jackson. The heartfelt memories of the old town would now just hit his body with pain and sadness. There were so many others he knew that didn't make it … No, he could let his mind wander to what could have been, thoughts like that only made the pain worse, much worse, and he knew this better than anyone.

Joel felt his body relax as he watched of the women enjoying themselves. With this new camp it looked like everyone was doing great between the time he'd been knocked out. However long _that's _been. He Shook his head, had to stay focused, he needed to find Ellie.

"Oh my god, Joel?!" Maria cried out

The blonde women shot up from her the bench and rushed over the awoken man, the others at the table soon follow her in the same fashion. The sudden grip of arms caught the man off guard as Maria pulled him into a hug. She then stood back and looked him over with soft smile on her face.

"Maria what happened to me, how long have I been out? Do you know where Ellie is, is she alright?" Joel asked, he did his best to stay calm.

"Don't worry Joel, she's with Tommy and the rest of the group out hunting, she's fine." Maria reassured him.

Joel let out a breath and gave slight smile. "I know Maria, but you know how I worry about my girl, I just wanted make sure." He said.

"It's no problem Joel. Come have a seat with us, I uh, I really need to talk to you about something really important …" Maria said as she struggled with her words.

"Can it wait, Maria, I just want to see Ellie and letter her know I'm alright." He asked.

"No, no, Joel it can't. Its … it's about your condition …" She told him in a very unusual tone.

Joel raised his eyebrows, the blonde was acting strange, and he didn't know why. "Condition, what do you mean? I feel fine. In fact, I feel pretty damn amazing." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

He began to look over his hands and arms, that's when the survivor realized …

"What the … what the fuck? The hell, that hell's goin' on here. Maria my hands …" He said as confusion began to get the better of him.

"Joel, just wait a second, something happened to you back at the military base. Something changed you …" She said.

"Changed me, I, I don't understand, the hell do you mean changed me …"

Maria pulled out a small chipped mirror out of her back pocket and handed it him. Joel looked to Maria and took the item in his hands, his face scrunched, his eyes tensed. He then slowly lifted the reflective piece of glass to his face and stared wide-eyed back at himself, he felt his stomach drop.

"How did this … is this even … Maria? Christ, is this real?" He pushed the words out the best he could, but this was just too much.

Maria walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on the bewildered man's shoulder. "Hey, you gonna be okay?"

He calmly lowered the mirror from his face and handed it back to the blonde woman. "Yeah, yeah I'm better than okay. This not really a bad thing, it's just, how the hell is this even possible. I mean, I look and feel okay, so I guess that pretty much means I'll be alright."

"Okay is not exactly the word I would use to describe you." Alex blurted out.

The rest of the group gave the woman raised eyebrow or embarrassed notion as they looked in her direction.

"What? I'm just being honest …" She snapped back.

The words went straight over Joel's head as he looked around the camp, he then turned his attention back to the group.

"Maria, can you tell me which direction they went, I really want to see Ellie and Tommy."

Maria's face wore a light frown as she looked to the young man. There was still something else she thought he might need to hear.

"Joel, I think you should hold on for a second. I mean, come on, you just woke up …"

"Maria, really, I said I'm fine, but I just really need to see Ellie. Please, Maria?" He asked softly.

Maria sighed and looked away from the gaze of the handsome man in front of her. _"Jesus, you and that girl are the two most stubborn people I ever meet." _Said and shook her head.

She turned to the front of the camp and lifted her finger, pointing to a long swerved gravel path. "Just follow the trail and stay to the left once you get to the river. They were gonna backtrack to the southwest to find a herd of elk we passed on our way up here." Maria said.

"Thank you, Maria. I'll be fine, trust me." He said as he slung a bow and some arrow over his shoulder.

"You mind if I borrow this." He tapped his newly acquired weapon on his back.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Really? You think you gotta ask when it comes to my stuff. Take it Joel; just don't do anything stupid out there." She told him as she folded her arms.

Joel smiled and gave a small chuckle at her words. He gave his sister-in-law a quick one arm hug then quickly made his way to the start of the trail. He had absolutely no clue about what was going on with his body, but as long he could find Ellie, _his_ Ellie, the. He knew everything would be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! I've been gone for some time, but now I'm back! Hope you guy haven't moved on just yet. I really want to see this story through to the end, and I really want to know if you guys and gals enjoying the story. I also want to give a special thanks to AspectOfCourage. You have pretty much reviewed every chapter so far, thank you so much! :D**

**SEVEN**

**A new way to live**

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><p>The young day reached the midpoint of its ever aging hours. The sun rested directly above him in the cobalt sky, not a single cloud was in sight. The valley was lush and alive, with birds taking to the skies as they always did. The view of the valley was beautiful, even more so from his scouting position on top of a tall tree overlooking the rest.<p>

Joel kelt firm and steady on a thick oak branch close to the top, his eyes scanned far and wide at his surroundings. With Maria's direction and combined with the tracks left behind from Ellie and Tommy's group, it was only a matter of time before he caught up with his brother's team.

So why, why climb the seemingly highest tree of the entire valley? Joel knew the answer to this, but it still didn't make any clearer to why he suddenly pulled this dangerous but impressive feat. All he knew was the second he spotted the massive oak branches, his brain told him, "_I can climb that, no problem."_ This was something his mind hadn't told him in quite some time. He felt this strange new power in his arms and legs. A buildup of confidence washed over him the longer he stared down the oversized wooden perennial plant. And so, up he went, testing his new, remade body. Which was something he would have never done before hand.

"_This kind of monkeying around is for the kids …"_ The nagging voices -Or his conscience, which was what most people called it- said to him. He scaled the overgrown tree with extreme ease, making excellent time. Once at the top, he looked down at the deadly drop he had created, the feeling of freedom greatly outweigh the feeling of fear.

'I'm too old for this kind of business …" Thoughts like this were typical in similar scenarios, despite his age only reaching the number 'five-oh' club a few weeks ago. But now, he had no excuses to hold him back. He was determined to see what he could pull off.

With a perfect photographic memory of the local lands layout in his mind, Joel quickly began his descent down to the trails below.

"Oh, shit … It was so much easier getting up here." He said, with a tiny sprinkle of regret.

The survivor kept his balance and stood on the closest branch to the ground. He instantly wondered, "How the hell did I make it up here in the first place, this is easily a twenty-foot drop!"

He knew the longer the he stayed put, the hard it would be to get down. So he did the only thing he could do.

"Screw it, I don't have time for this."

Joel released his grip from the safety of the oak tree and jumped.

THUMP!

He hit the ground almost instantly and landed in a crouched pose, despite his intentions of rolling to shift his momentum. He expected to feel the jolting pain of hitting the solid ground with his body weight's full force, but instead, the survivor felt … nothing. He turned his head back up to the branch and confusion took its place in this head once again.

"God damn, I jumped from that!?" He said, trying to measure the exact distance.

Joel stood up tall and straight, the powerful combination of strength and concentration surged inside the core of his chest. He took notice of multiple foot prints in the grass and mud below and immediately jogged off in the same direction. He started off in a steady pace, keeping eyes trained on the tracks left behind from the others. His path was clear, so he began to pick up speed, hopping over fallen tree logs, and vaulting between massive rocks once he reached the mountain side of a flowing river.

He jumped off the edge of a protruding dirt mound at the cliff side next the stream, he grabbed on to a sturdy tree branch and swung off, hitting the ground and shifting into a perfect rolling dismount, instantly regaining his running pace. Beads of sweat formed on the edges of his forehead, his heart pumped blood evenly throughout his body, and air flowed through his lungs at quickened pace. But, fatigue never reared its head, almost as if such a thing didn't exist, especially at that moment.

"Well, this is gonna be useful." Joel said with smirk, refusing to reduced his speed.

He followed along the busy stream at full speed, glancing at the school of salmon fighting their way up the raging falls. The fish battled up stream in the hopes of spawning their young into the gravel beds that waited above. Even through with the crashing sounds of the flowing river beside him, he felt tranquility take charge of the world around him. Mother nature ruled these lands, she moved on with her eternal plans of life, never letting up. She would lived on and grow, just as she always has, and as she always will.

The booming force of an echoing gun shot rang out in the near by distance, breaking the serene atmosphere.

Joel slid to an immediate stop, "The hell was that?" His eyes tighten, and his head moved from side to side, listening for the source of noise.

His hearing had always been one of his strong suits when it came to survival, but, he instantly felt a impactful change once he fully focused. His ears picked up multiple sounds of the forest around him. He heard the gentle force of the winds push against the blades of grass that surrounded his feet. The frantic flapping of feathered wings from evading birds breached his ear drums from out in the faraway distance.

Angry shouts in the direction straight ahead grabbed his attention. The cursing shouts of female voice kick his adrenaline into full gear.

"Ellie!"

He equipped his bow and ran towards the building confrontation.

(...)

"Sorry beautiful, although you look like fairly good shot, I'm afraid that's my arrow that made the kill."

A light-skinned, bald headed man said in soft, unnerving tone. He slowly approached her with a grin on his scarred face. He slung his metal bow over his shoulder and stopped a few feet in front of the redhead. She took notice of the strange circular symbol sewed on the front of his hooded jacket above the right side of his chest.

Ellie released her grip from the steel arrow that protruded out the bucks ribcage. She stood up and turned to face the unknown individual, her eyes never left his, her grip on her bow tightened.

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be, what do you want?" She said with her fist clenched.

The battlescarred man's intruding presents begged her tongue to say much more, but she knew better. She need to play it cool when it came to the possible dangers of unknown people.

"Hey, Hey now, there's no need to feel alarmed, you not in any danger … That is, if answer a few questions I have, truthfully, of course." He said with bit too much confidence behind his voice.

Ellie rolled her eyes and she scoffed, "Pfft, yeah right, who the hell are you making demands?"

He smiled and pushed out a laugh from deep within his chest."Oh, wow, you got quite the fire inside of you. But, if I'm completely honest, these '_demands'_ come straight from my leader. He is searching for someone who is very important , so, we must aid him by any means. You see, I belong to a well armed and well-trained clan of blood thirsty bastards." He said, his hand rested below a red patch on his jacket showing off his clan's emblem.

Ellie refused to break her sight from his overbearing glare, despite his subtle threats. She looked down and quickly studied his clan's symbol; a tiny red bird with what looked like feathers and flames falling from its body displayed itself in the center of a red diamond-shaped barrier.

The redhead raised her eyebrow and looked back at the man,"The hell this supposed to mean to me? I don't get it, you guys call yourselves the flaming fucks or something?" She said with a tiny smiled in the corner of her mouth.

The bald man let out small chuckle,"Ha, there you go with that fire, again, I like that. But, this is no time for games. I'm fairly positive your friends will agree with me."

Ellie's eyes widened, her heart beat quickened, she looked in the last direction of Tommy and the group, but her friends were nowhere in sight. He distracted her, and she fell for it!

"Tommy, Tommy where are you?! Talk to me, goddamn it!" She shouted to the forest around her. She then set her sights at the ragged man in front for her. "What the fuck are you pulling here!? Where are they, where are my friends?!"

No words came from his mouth, he simply stared back at her and folded his arms with smug expression on his face.

"Ellie, Run!" Tommy cried out from an unknown distance.

* * *

><p>Please leave a review if you liked or disliked this chapter! I'm all about improvement and feedback! :D<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

**The Phoenix Hunters**

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><p>The redhead turned tail and bolted in the opposite direction. She made its less than ten feet when out of nowhere a pair of arms locked around the her waist, pulled her off her feet and slammed her to the ground.<p>

"Argh, fuck, let go of me you ugly fuck!"

She turned her body to break free, but a pair of arms held her down. She pulled her pistol out of the back of her pants, she aimed and pulled the trigger, but a force smacked her hand away, wasting her shot. With her back to the ground she meet face to face with a heavy, tan-skinned man. He wore the same symbol tattooed above the right side of his forehead. She forced her right arm loose, charged back her fist and struck the man in his temple. He staggered from her sudden strike, but he quickly recovered and shrugged it off with an unsettling laugh.

"Nice shot, ya little bitch!" His deep voice rumbled from his massive chest.

He knelt over her, brought up his ballad up hands and crashed the bottom of his fists in a barbaric smash on Ellie's head. She cried out in pain, the overpowering force sent her flat to the ground. Dust from the dirt below her kicked up, her head was in intense pain, the world darkened and spun around her.

The big man laughed and he grabbed hold of her by the arms. He lifted her off the ground and wrapped his wide arms around her waist, forcing her to stand. She was dizzy and light-headed, but she could still see the bald man approached her. He took his time with each foot step, he pulled out a massive knife that was almost the size of short sword.

He grabbed hold of her, held out the over sized blade up to her neck and smiled. "Were not bad people, we just know what's rightfully ours. But don't worry your pretty little head about it, you'll come around to our side and see the world through our eyes … The feisty ones like you always do."

"I'll … I'll fucking … kill you, you assholes!" Ellie said, kicking and pushing with all she had, struggling to get free.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

Multiple explosions sounded off in the near by distance. Ellie and her two attackers gazed all around for the source of the detonations. Thick, dark smoke began to cloud the open spaces and its trees, filling the corners of the forest and blinding them from the rest of the world in a seemingly infinite foggy mass.

"Fuck, Smoke bombs!" The bald man cried out.

"What do we do, boss? I can't see shit!" The big guy said, he was instantly rattled by the situation.

"Just stay close, damn it, we gotta regroup!" The bald man's eyes darted left and right, he hoped to spot anyone from his clan. "Team, fall back! Team, I said regroup on me … Team?!"

They stood and listened, but not a single sound arose from the smoke. Dead silence filled the air, nothing but the calls of the forest winds against the leaf cover branches resonated around them.

The two men focused their attention out into the grey haze ahead. A dark form began to appear in the grey haze. "Help … help … help me …" A female voice quietly called out to them.

The two men instantly recognized the woman. She limped towards them holding her neck, her other arm hung lifeless at her side with blood covering most of her body. She stopped in front of her fellow clan mates, her stare was blank. The bloody woman moved her mouth to speak, but she clasped, unable to say a word.

The big man rushed to her, he knelt to her side and checked her pulse. She stared back him with empty eyes, her body was motionless, and the warmth of her body already began to fade away.

The big man's breathing start to quicken, he closed her eyes with his fingers before laying her body gently to the ground. "They … they killed her … they took her away …"

The bald man stepped forward with a dazed Ellie still in his arms, "Hey, hey what the fuck are you doing? We gotta stay to together, there's too many of them out there!" He said in a loud whisper.

The big man stood up, unslung his assault rifle and machete off his back. His site never left the direction where the woman came from. He cocked back his weapon, his forehead tightened and burned, anger surged through his blood.

"I'm coming for ya, you hear me, you bastards! I'll kill you all!" He shouted, running off into the thick smoke with his assault rifle in one hand and his machete in the other.

"No, you goddamn idiot! Come back, come back!" The bald man cried.

His only surviving clan mate disappeared into the dark void. He took a step back with great caution. He was now alone with only a half conscious Ellie in his clutches.

"Your … so dead …" Ellie said with a small, painful chuckle.

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" He said, backing up with his knife to her neck, beyond scared to anything else.

Bursts of an automatic rifle rang out just ahead of the two. Only a few seconds passed, then more shots followed in short bursts. Bullet after bullet rang out close by, but the worst part of it was that the shots came from the same weapon, the big man's assault rifle.

A total of thirty rounds were fired, it was then the shooting finally stopped. The deafening sounds of silence consumed the area once again. The bald man waited, his eyes twitched and he tried his best to peek through the heavy smoke. Fear filled his body, preventing him to dare blink a precious second way.

"I … I gotta get out of here …" He said, his nerves began to get the best of him.

A blood curdling scream rushed through the air. The victim's voice was deep, loud, and in excruciating agony. He hoped with all his might his clan mate took down the unknown attackers, but he knew in reality, he was on his own now. His friend wasn't coming back, he recognized the voice, even if it was through a disturbing cry of death. The last shout of his clan mate echoed in his head. In all his years he never heard a man make that sound. And now, he was almost certain he would ever forget it.

A slow rhythmic pattern of foot steps drew near. The sound of lone pair boots grinding dirt and gravel after each step haunted his eardrums. He pulled his pistol out with his right hand and held his hostage in the other. He pointed his weapon out in the open woods, not sure where to aim, and not sure what to do.

The bald man's eyes focused forward, his inner thoughts were frantic and he aimed his pistol out into the grey nothingness, "If you don't want a fucking asshole where you head is, then you'll back off!" He yelled out toward the unknown.

The footsteps continued on their path, not missing a single beat.

He wiped drops off sweat from his face, "I've got your girl here, don't make me cut her! I swear on my mother, I'll end her right here and now if you don't back the fuck up!"

The sounds of the unknown killer persisted, moving closer and closer,

seemingly unfazed by his panicked warnings.

"I said stop where you are, goddamn it! I'll do it, I'll cut this little bitch's head off with my rusty blade, I'm not screwing around!" He said, forcing his threats through a strained and cracked voice.

This was it, the unknown figure was too close. He was no out of options, but he still couldn't see two feet in front of him. His arms worked against him, combined with the burning numbness and an uncontrollable shake, it was almost impossible to aim straight.

Then suddenly, the footsteps came to a halt, soon to follow was only the unnerving silence. Quietude, that was the natural state of the surrounding woodlands. The wind, the animals, and not even the mysterious footsteps were heard. They only sounds of the world his ears picked up was his uneven draws of breath from his lungs.

"_What … What that hell is this ... What the fuck is going on?" _He said.

He knew something wasn't right, this was too much. It was impossible for human beings to see through smoke. And yet, his attacker moved through the thick smoke with relative ease. It was as if the sick bastard was taking his or her time, hunting him, or even toying with him!

"Come out, come out and face me with you hands were I can see them! This doesn't have end badly, we can all walk away from this!" He said, pleading with some truth behind his voice.

He knew the attacker was playing mind games, the element of fear was a powerful tool against the human mind. The unknown person moved like a shadow, silent and out of sight. It was as if his new enemy was ghost, and he knew for fucking fact that ghosts didn't exist …

"Hello …" He said, trying one last time.

The bald man's right wrist twisted back, followed by the disturbing sound of a crack, while his other was grabbed and locked into an overpowering grip. He screamed out in pain and dropped his gun and hostage. An unbreakable hold to his neck cut his cries short. He fought with all strength to break loose, elbowing and punching wildly at his unseen attacker, but his enemy had him locked him down from behind. His body was suddenly dragged at a jarring speed, he was partially lifted up off the ground, spun and slammed into a tree. He lifted his good hand to fight back, but saw the end draw near. His eyes widened, he was unable to yell out his fear. His body froze and he saw his fate come to a close.

His own knife, locked into another man's hand, lunged at him with an unavoidable speed, and stuck him. The blade impaled him dead center of his chest, cutting though his body, and slicing half way through the tree behind him.

The strike was so fast, so precise, he didn't even feel it. In fact, he could feel anything. He tried to move his move his legs, but it proved useless. The blade not only held him to the tree, but now, it keep him from falling.

The time finally came, he met eyes with his attacker and the image burned into his brain. He looked back at the face of a young man, a face recognized, the face his leader was searching for.

"You … I … I should have known, nobody's that good …" He said, a warm and red liquid began to leak out of the corner of his mouth.

"What the hell are playing at? I don't know you." Joel said, his tone was stern and heavy.

The bald man tried to smile, but the pain was overbearing, "You're … you're right, you don't know me, but we … my clan know you. You're the man how doomed us … you took away our only chance of a cure …" He said through struggled breaths.

Joel took a step back, he eyed down the man, not sure if he should just walk away. "yeah, how do you figure that." Joel said.

The bald man rested his left hand on the knife the protruded out his chest, "You … you think your body just magically reformed itself. That tank of liquid you dunked your self in wasn't water … it was a cure, our only cure …"

"How could you possibly know that I was …" Joel stopped mid sentence, cut off the bleeding man.

"What, that you were the one responsible? We partnered with what was left of that military outpost. Our clan help guard what was left of the … the base, "He grunted in pain and tried to cleared his dry throat. "The military went through great lengths to record any breakthroughs … with fully functional security cameras placed throughout the facility it was that much easier. You were on camera, forever recorded as the man who took our salvation away ..." He said, his body was becoming weaker by the minute.

Joel staggered in his place, he was beyond shock at the revelation. A cure .. a real cure, and it made sense … sort of. How else did his body get like this. It wasn't by accident, that much he was sure of. He stared at the man one last time, he shook his head and turned the other way making his way off into the distance, leaving the impaled hunter to his inevitable death.

"This doesn't end here, they will find you! He will find you, he always does! We … we are known as the Phoenix! We proud hunters have fought and killed those who opposed us. We have risen from the ashes of old world to take back what is rightfully ours …" The bald man shouted.

Joel's walk slowed to a stop, he heard the man's words but refused to turn around. "Yeah, and what's that, huh? What is their for you and your clan to take?" Joel asked.

The balm man pushed a small, but painful wheezing laugh, "This land … this land and its people …" He said with a bloody smile.

Joel turned his sights back the dying man, his face expressed disgust from his insane words. The bald hunter's smile began to fade, head slowly dropped and hung low. His scarred face was now blank of any emotions and his breathing ceased.

It was over, at least for now. He had to check on the others, if small handful of these bastards could track the Jackson group this far, then who knows how many more would come. Joel jogged back through the fade smoke. He and the others had to out of the area, and it new to happen now.

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